


cherry moonshine

by sevenfifteenam



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, During Evil Queen | Regina Mills's First Dark Curse, F/F, F/M, Gaypiphany, Hurt/Comfort, I have no idea where this is going, Just gals being pals, Ruby and Snow were kinda gay, Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:26:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25583587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sevenfifteenam/pseuds/sevenfifteenam
Summary: Maybe the problem isn't rooted in Valentine's Day's existence, after all.(Season 1 canon divergent AU in which Mary-Margaret is tired of being the second choice.)
Relationships: Prince Charming | David Nolan/Snow White | Mary Margaret Blanchard, Red Riding Hood | Ruby/Snow White | Mary Margaret Blanchard, Snow White | Mary Margaret Blanchard & Emma Swan
Comments: 6
Kudos: 9





	cherry moonshine

**Author's Note:**

> Every scene featuring Red and Snow had me going "does anyone else get a little bit of a gay vibe?" //  
> 1x12 (Skin Deep) alternative ending, because Ruby would treat Mary-Margaret right.  
> (I still don’t know if I’m going to make this multichaptered lol)

[Based on [this textpost](https://eloisegardener.tumblr.com/post/624554463437389824/again-not-to-push-my-redsnow-agenda-but-this-is) of mine.]

Mary-Margaret Blanchard is somewhat of a hopeless romantic, something she's never been ashamed to admit. She simply loves love, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with such- she likes the idea of having a soulmate, and she thinks that if two people are truly meant to be together, then they will find a way.

Emma, on the on the other hand, thinks it's completely silly- her roommate is a little bit more jaded when it comes to love, though. Mary-Margaret fully empathises with her, especially considering that Emma doesn't have the best track record when it comes to relationships- Emma doesn't talk very often about them, but the little amount of information she has managed to gather is horrifying enough, and although Mary-Margaret's love life has never been particularly fulfilling (unless going a on a bunch of failed dates and pining over married man is considered 'fulfilling'), she's always held on to the hope that one day, she may find true love.

In theory, Valentine's Day sounds like a holiday made for Mary-Margaret; the roses, chocolates, candlelit and declarations of undying love are all things that Mary-Margaret has fantasized about at one point in her life- and still does to this day. However, for the last few (dozen) years of her life, it had done nothing but bring her mood down- all of this being nothing but a painful reminder of what she wishes she had, almost like there is a hole in her heart that's always been begging to be filled.

So instead of making a fuss about it, she'd decided to treat February 14 th like any other day; there was no point in obsessing over it if she was only going to spend the entire evening on her own, overanalysing every aspect of her life- something she found herself doing quite often, despite the fact that there was never new to add to the discussion. Before Emma's arrival in town, life in Storybrooke was boring- excruciatingly so, to the point where even the harshest of mental tortures felt incredibly dull. She'd always followed the same routine: sleep, teach, volunteer, repeat, with nothing interesting ever happening in between- pinpointing the reasons why everything always felt so hazy was no easy task, and she wasn't sure she'd ever get to the bottom of it. Still, she often found herself wondering if she was stuck in a time loop, cursed to relive the same day, over and over. And, while she found Storybrooke to be comforting in its own ways- after all, there must have been a reason behind the fact that she'd never even considered moving out, and the town did have its own little charm, but she often found herself wishing- no,  _praying_ for something new- anything that would disrupt her routine just enough for not to feel like she was living in a haze.

This year though, everything is different- she feels like more things have happened in the two months that Emma has spent in town than ever before- it's a little overwhelming, very exhilarating, and for once, she actually finds herself looking forwards to Valentine's Day. She wonders what David has planned for her, a million different scenarios running through her mind, to the point where she finds herself unable to function properly- her smile is so wide that Emma feels the need to ask her if everything is okay, multiple times, and while Mary-Margaret nods and insist that she's fine all seven times, Emma has to stop her from accidentally throwing a bowl in the trash.

Emma isn't the only person to notice her good mood, though- her co-workers find her to be in way too giddy at this time of the day for it to ever be normal, especially considering that Mary-Margaret isn't a morning person, and she lies about how she's just 'happy to be there'. No one seems to buy it, and she doesn't expect them to- lying has never exactly been her forte, but they don't push it any further, something she's incredibly thankful for.

Mary-Margaret and Ruby aren't particularly close.

The two get along just fine, and Mary-Margaret is actually quite fond of her, despite the fact their interactions mostly consist of small talk, but Ruby is nice to her; she's the only person to ever ask about the class' pet bird, Bobby- she'd decided to let the children name the bird and it was either that, or naming it after Kyle- and she always remembers to take off the pickles out of Mary-Margaret's hamburgers.

So, while the two aren't ready to spend the evening at Mary-Margaret's apartment painting each other's nails, Ruby seems to think they're close enough to invite her on a girl's night out that same evening. She wants to decline, but Ruby gives her something akin to 'puppy eyes'- if she didn't know how being backed into a corner felt like before this incident, she sure does now. And besides, it's not like she can decline without casting any suspicions upon herself, so she simply accepts.

_Well, there goes her romantic evening._

To say she's disappointed is an understatement- her mood goes sour at the idea of spending yet another Valentine's Day (or rather, Valentine's evening) on her own- although she'll be in Ruby and Ashley's company, she knows she'll probably go home early and break out a bottle of wine. Emma suspiciously eyes her once they get home, except this time no questions are asked (and no dishes are almost thrown in the trash, either, which is a significant improvement).

Still, she tries her best to have fun that night. Ruby takes her and Ashley to a bar, and as she looks around and sees all those smiling faces, she realises there's no point in letting her evening going to waste. Alas, these things are always easier said than done, and she constantly finds her thoughts wandering back to David- he hasn't contacted her at all today, and she wonders if he actually had anything planned- or if he intends on spending the evening with Kathryn, or if they were actually trying to have a baby when Kathryn was trying to get pregnant, and oh god she needs a freaking drink.

It hits her like a freight train- David is married. David has a  _wife_ , who he is committed, despite what their affair may suggest, since he's so insistent on staying with her- it's something she was already well aware of, considering that she and Kathryn have interacted, the fact that Kathryn's been nothing but nice to her doing the complete opposite of assuaging her guilt, and she'd spent weeks avoiding David because of the sole fact that she didn't want to be a homewrecker- but ever since this affair began, she'd never once stopped to think about the fact he's committed to someone that isn't her. He isn't fully hers, and he most likely never will be.

She sighs, burying her face in her hands. Turns out, there isn't much a difference between staying in or going out today- she's clearly bound to end up overthinking in any scenario, and falling into an overanalysing spiral is so much easier when you have a shameful secret to hide.

_Maybe the problem isn't rooted in Valentine's Day's existence, after all._

It's melancholy inducing, and she almost finds herself longing for the simplicity of her single days, as much as she despised them- what she and David have may be special and something she truly cherishes, but she'll always abhor the constant knot in pit of her stomach that comes with entertaining such a relationship.

But, hey, at least Ashley and Ruby seem to be having fun.

Sean, Ashley's boyfriend, ends up proposing to her less than an hour later. He shows up during his break with a bouquet of roses, and she essentially launches herself into his arms. The entire room claps when she says 'yes', including Mary-Margaret- Ashley deserves it after everything she's been through- she likes that the younger woman found the happiness she so desired.

It inevitably makes her think about the fact that that David has shared a similar moment with Kathryn- and how the odds of this ever happening with her seem to be slim to none. Everything reminds her of David and Kathryn- it's almost like her mind is punishing her for choosing to sleep with a married man, and she probably she deserves it, in a way- after all, good people don't sleep with married men.

Her entire persona feels like it's crumbling, and there's isn't much she can do about it, except sit back and hope for her fall from grace to be swift and painless.

She jumps when she feels a cold hand on her shoulder.

“Oh,” she lets out, upon turning her head and seeing Ruby sitting next to her.

The latter leans closer, “Hey, is everything okay?” she asks, “You've been quiet all evening.”

Mary-Margaret nods, before taking a deep breath, “I'm fine, just tired.”

Ruby sets her hand on Mary-Margaret's forearm, and gives her a friendly smile, “This is about David, isn't it?”

Mary-Margaret is taken aback, “H-How did you know that?” she stammers.

Ruby chuckles, “Honey, you two aren't being very discreet about it. Besides, the diner isn't a best place to having a secret rendez-vous.”

“Oh.”

“It's fine, I won't judge. Besides, I've probably done far worse,” she reassures her, “But you can tell me what's bothering you, if you want. Or I can help you drink all your problems away, too.”

“Thanks, but I think I'll just go home,” she says, grabbing her coat on the seat next to her, and Ruby does the same. “Oh, you don't have to-”

“Well, Ashley is gone, and I'm not going to have any fun on my own so, might as well just go home.”

The main room isn't big, which isn't uncommon for a Storybrooke establishment, but the scattered tables make it nearly impossible to navigate through the bar. Her eyes don't see much either- if it weren't for the ever-dimming light coming from the ceiling and the candles on the tables, the room would be plunged in complete obscurity.

They head out of the bar and start walking, discussing nothing and everything- Ruby even manages to get a few laughs out of Mary-Margaret, a near miracle in her opinion, and she finds herself immensely glad to have someone by her side.

Suddenly, a voice calls out Mary-Margaret's name.

She turns around. “David, hi,” she says, genuinely surprised to see him. By that point, she hadn't expected anything from him, but she finds herself glad that he kept her in her thoughts.

“I'll just... go over there... Take your time.” Ruby says, walking away from the couple and stopping a few feet away, “I can't hear anything,” she says, putting her hands over her ears. It's strangely endearing, Mary-Margaret finds, and she can't help but let out a small smile.

By that point of the evening, her standards have gotten so low that she's probably jump in glee over a simple “Happy Valentine's Day” over text, but she's glad to know David kept her in his thoughts.

Alas, he hands her the wrong Valentine's Day card- this one is meant for Kathryn, and Mary-Margaret's frustration starts bubbling up to the surface. She doesn't want to be 'the other woman'- she doesn't want sneak around anymore, she just wants to be able to love freely, without constantly worrying about getting caught.

“I-I… I always thought, that if two people were supposed to be together, they’d find a way. But, David, if this is our way, I think we should find another one,” she tells him, “It's unfair for me, and most importantly for Kathryn.”

“Please...” he pleads, grabbing her free hand.

“I don't think we should be together, David.”

“Mary-Margaret-”

“I think you should go home to your wife,” she interrupts him, extracting her hand from his before shoving the card in her coat pocket with the other one. She starts walking over to Ruby, doing her best to keep a fast pace, but her entire body feels immensely heavy, and her legs refuse to cooperate. She can feel the tears pooling in her eyes, but she refuses want to cry when she's the one who put an end to this, but this all feels reminiscent of that fateful night at the Toll bridge- yet another painful reminder that she's never truly been chosen by him, and she likely never will be.

“I'm not entirely sure of what's going on between you two, but I feel like it didn't go over too well?”

She shrugs, sniffling a little, “As well as things can be after ending a relationship.”

Whether the term 'ended' is the accurate or not she doesn't know, but if there's one thing she's sure, if David doesn't intend on leaving Kathryn, she can't just sit back and wait in the background forever- 2 months was plenty of time to muster up the courage to leave her, but if the fact that he ever went back to her in the first place was indicative of something, it's that Mary-Margaret will always be the second choice.

“Hey,” Ruby says, giving her a side hug, “It's probably for the best. You really don't want to be there when the wife learns about it, anyways,” she tries to joke, but it has the complete opposite effect. How did she ever think any of it was going to work?

Ruby grabs her by the arm, “Come on, let's take your mind off of him. Let's a girl's night, but better because it's only you and I.”

Ruby practically drags her to her apartment- she's not sure how to react, and for a second, she even wonders if she's being kidnapped, but she'll admit she's very impressed by Ruby's ability to back people into corners. She almost wishes she knew how to do that- then, she wouldn't have had to spend months (unsuccessfully) trying to get her sort-of-ex-boyfriend to leave his wife.

“Granny might be asleep,” she whispers once they reach the front door, before taking her red heels off and holding them in her left hand, “So like, don't be too loud or else she'll probably start yelling.”

Mary-Margaret awkwardly nods, before doing the same with her black flats. She's seen the way Granny yells at people- not loud per say, but her tone is always filled enough underlying judgement to send one spiralling, and it's one of the few things from Granny that Mary-Margaret doesn't want a taste of.

When they enter the apartment, they find her to be the opposite of asleep, though- she's wide awake, knitting on the couch, the room almost completely dark except from the dim light emitted from the TV sitting in front of her.

Upon hearing the door open, she immediately turns around, “Ruby, I swear to God if you bought another ma-” she stops dead in her tracks upon seeing who is in Ruby's company, “Mary-Margaret, what a pleasant surprise,” she smiles at her, and Mary-Margaret shyly smiles back, before weakly waving.

Ruby rolls her eyes before grabs Mary-Margaret's wrist, “Ugh, let's go,” she leads Mary-Margaret through a small corridor, and only stops at the door its very end. She opens it, flipping the light switch on before immediately throwing her shoes to her side and quickly discarding her coat.

“Come on in,” she says, inviting Mary-Margaret into the room. She'd gotten from the way Ruby presents herself to the world that red was is favourite colour- from the highlights in her hair down to the fact she’s never seen her wear any other colour (black not technically being a colour)- so she isn’t particularly shocked by the fact that the walls are painted red. The room isn’t particularly big, although it’s a little bigger than what she’d expected; a bed is pushed into a corner, and next to is a black nightstand composed of three drawers. In another corner, directly facing the bed, is what seems to be closet, and the room would probably feel a little bare if it weren’t for the clothes littering the floor.

Ruby chuckles upon noticing Mary-Margaret stiffly standing in the doorway.

“You can sit down if you want,” she says, kneeling besides the bed, reaching for the bottom drawer before opening it and pulling out a bottle of vodka. “For emergencies,” she says, getting back on her feet and dangling the bottle before opening it and directly drinking for it.

Mary-Margaret sits on the bed, letting her shoes fall to the ground next to her.

“Here,” she says, handing the bottle over to Mary-Margaret, “You probably need this more than I do.”

Mary-Margaret grabs takes a huge swig from the bottle, and frowns at the burning sensation caused by the liquid going down her throat. She can feel her body temperature slightly rising, and decides to take off her coat before discarding it next to her.

She's always thought of alcohol as disgusting, and her drinking in large quantities never ends well, her one-night stand with Whale being the only proof she needs to win that argument, two reasons she probably should have handed that bottle back to Ruby- but she'll make an exception for tonight. And besides, she's allowed to drink her sorrows away every once in a while- her train of thoughts is interrupted when she feels her phone vibrating in her pocket. She reaches for her coat to grab it, before turning it on and staring at the screen.

**2 missed call from David.**

“Well,” she says, putting it back in her purse. She stares at the bottle and takes another swig, but this time, she barely feels anything- her throat still burning from her previous one. She almost wants to get into the reasons why there seems to be aa correlation between her excessive drinking and David causing her emotional distress, but for once, she finds herself too distraught to overthink.

If that’s not a new low. She takes a third swig, and Ruby takes the bottle from her hands.

“Wow, easy there,” she begins, “Let's fall into a coma too early,” she jokes. She then plops down on the bed next to Mary-Margaret, before giving her small smile, “I'll admit I didn't think this through... Got any ideas?”

“Is sulking all night an option?”

“Hey, I didn't drag you here by the arm for you to _sulk_ out of all things,” she gets up, “And, as your super awesome gal pal, it's my duty to distract your brain from a certain someone until you pass out from exhaustion,” she paused for a second, “Mainly because I drank four cans of energy drink to get through my afternoon shift and I'm definitely not going to be able to sleep tonight.”

Mary-Margaret giggles at that comment, “Oh, so that's why you dragged me here. You didn't want to be on your own?”

Ruby blows a raspberry at her, “Who you that lie? I just like dabbling in the art of being an amazing friend,” She answers, causing Mary-Margaret to laugh even harder.

“You do know that saying this implies you don't do it often, right?”

“Alright, smartass,” she says, rummaging through her drawers, and pausing, “I just got an idea.”

She pulls out a small bag, before setting it on her nightstand.

“What's this?” Mary-Margaret asks, before groaning in frustration upon hearing her phone vibrate once more.

“Lie down,” she commands, ignoring Mary-Margaret's comment, “And turn your phone off. Trust me, he won't stop calling until he gets an answer. Men are like that.”

“Oh, I'm not lying down until you tell me what this is.”

“It's makeup, silly,” She says, and Mary-Margaret narrows her eyes, before climbing further into the bed and laying her head on Ruby's pillow, her dark teal dress rumpling under her, “A makeover is always good for the soul.”

Ruby climbs up the bed and straddles Mary-Margaret's waist. “W-what are you doing?” she asks, taken aback, “You know this isn’t how normal people apply make-up, right?”

“This is how we do it in this house,” she says, “Relax.”

“That's kind of hard, considering the fact that you're quite literally sitting on me.”

“Aw,” Ruby says, wiggling her eyebrows, “Intimidated?”

Mary-Margaret scoffs, “You wish,” she says, the crimson shade tint that paints her cheeks betraying her. Her phone vibrates once more, and Ruby grabs Mary-Margaret's coat, rummaging through the pockets and taking out her phone.

“Hey-” Mary-Margaret protests, but Ruby holds a finger up to her face, before turning off the phone and tossing it behind her, hoping for it to land of the bed- but the thud that follows a few seconds indicates otherwise.

“Problem solved?” she asks, and Mary-Margaret shoots her a look, causing Ruby to shrug, “I’m sure that your phone will be fine,” she tries to reassure her, “And now that your ex-boyfriend is out of the way, let auntie Ruby care of you.”

“Auntie Ruby?”

“Yes. Now, stay still.”

As it turns out, Ruby's makeover works is an amazing distraction tool. She’d love it, if it weren’t for all the wrong reasons.

Ruby grabs the  eyebrow pencil , and leans down and being to work on her face. Their faces are dangerously close now- she can feel the Ruby's warm breath on her face, and for a reason she can't fathom, she finds herself unable to stop staring. Her heart rate seems to pick up, her heart leaping out of her chest- Ruby makes eye-contact with her, and she’s almost unable to tear her eyes away, mesmerised by Ruby’s gaze, but she allows to let them travel down to her nose, her cheeks, before traveling further south. Ruby’s lips are cherry red and strangely enticing, and Mary-Margaret finds herself staring at them for way too long for it to be considered normal. She tales a deep breath, and resorts to focusing on the ceiling above her.  


_What the hell was that?_   
She's awfully confused by the situation- as far as she was concerned, she’d always considered herself some level of straight; she liked men, and, in some (very rare) cases, men liked her back- simple at that- but clearly, the way her body reacts to Ruby’s presence has her doubting all of this.  
  
If someone had told Mary-Margaret that her night would end with her questioning her sexual orientation over Ruby, she wouldn’t have laughed in their face, since that’s not something Mary-Margaret would ever do- but she would have felt very incredulous.  
  
“You know,” Ruby begins, grabbing an eyeshadow palette, “The men of this town are garbage,” she says, causing Mary-Margaret to wonder if she’s speaking out of experience, “If he doesn’t want to leave his wife for you, then you definitely deserve better.”  
  
“Close your eyes,” she adds, before beginning to apply what Mary-Margaret assumes to be blue eyeshadow on her eyelid, "I'll make you forget about him.”  
  
Mary-Margaret almost want to snort at that comment- David is long gone from her mind by that point, and Ruby’s already done a more than amazing job at doing so. While she still feels weighed down from the break-up, she isn't nearly as sad as she would be, and although her heart is still heavy, she's glad for the fact that she has something to take her mind off of him.  
  
“I guess so,” she answers, squirming a little, “I really only have Whale and David as examples, and look how that ended.”  
  
“Don’t move,” Ruby says, focusing on the other eye, and Mary-Margaret obliges, “Hey, speaking of Whale- what happened between you two?”

“Oh, that...I might as well just fill you in on everything.”  
  


  
Mary-Margaret tells her about everything- from her disastrous date with Whale (although Ruby was there to witness that one), to David going to back his wife, to her questionable 'one-night stand' with Whale-, to her short-lived affair with David, all while Ruby struggles to apply eyeshadow to her eyelids. She can tell Ruby is a little taken aback; she’d known about the two, but probably didn’t know how far back their story went. She's ninety-nine percent sure she's oversharing now, and the alcohol has barely begun to take effect, but she doesn't care- maybe she will tomorrow morning when she'll find herself unable to get out of bed or function; but right now, she just wants to let loose. By the time she's done, Ruby is applying blush to her cheeks, and she can’t help but think about how this isn’t the only way Ruby seems to make her blush.  
  
“You know,” Ruby begins, “I think you're wilder than people give you credit for. Granny says you're like a blushing virgin. I’m pretty sure that’s why she likes the idea of me spending time with you.”  
  
She chuckles, closing her eyes when some powder accidentally gets into them, “I’m pretty sure this was the first and last time I have a one-night stand. Especially with Whale.”

Ruby bursts into laughter at that comment, and Mary-Margaret can't help but smile, “Oh my god, was it that bad?” She asks, causing Mary-Margaret to shake her head.

“It's not that it was bad-” she begins, “Hold on, Granny thinks I'm a blushing virgin?” They both start laughing even harder. “Oh gosh, is this what this entire town thinks of me?”

“Well, for one, you say things like ‘jolly’ and 'gosh', and you hang out with nuns in your free time,” Ruby points out, and Mary-Margaret laughs.

“Okay,” Ruby says, sitting back to admire her work, “We're almost done. You need one last thing,” she says, grabbing a tube of red lipstick, “A makeup look is not complete without red lipstick.”

Mary-Margaret nods.

“Let me tell you a little story, since I'm going to have to do most of the talking,” she opens the tube and leans in again. She stares at Mary-Margaret's lips, “But first, open your mouth.”

Mary-Margaret gulps, unable to say anything, before slightly opening her mouth. Ruby applies the lipstick, starting with the middle of her top lip, moving outwards towards the corner.

“When I was younger,” she begins, “I was a little bit of troublemaker,” she says, before putting the lipstick applier on the middle of her top lip and moving towards the other corner, “And so one day, I wondered “Hey, what would happen if I shoved seventeen straws into my nose?'” she lets the applier hover over Mary-Margaret's bottom lip for a few seconds, before moving to her bottom lip, “And so I grabbed a pair of scissors, cut up a bunch of straws, and shoved the short parts up my nose.” Mary-Margaret snorts, causing Ruby's to accidentally get red lipstick on Mary-Margaret's nose- by that point, she's done applying it though, and is just staring at Mary-Margaret's lips for a reason the latter can’t fathom- it's a little distressing, considering the fact that if her heart were to start beating any faster, she’d probably die. By that point, she’s not listening to Ruby’s story anymore, the other woman's voice drowning in her ears as she tries to focus on steadying her heartbeat.

Mary-Margaret absent-mindedly nods when Ruby ends the story, her eyes still set on Ruby's lips. Neither of them says anything for a few seconds, and Mary-Margaret almost forgets how to breathe when Ruby closes the gap between the two and plants a soft kiss on her lips.

**Author's Note:**

> (I'm so sorry you had to read this, oop.)  
> Please leave a kudos if you liked it (and a comment if you feel like it), kiss kiss


End file.
